The History of
Piermont & Thorne
Photo: Christ’s College, Cambridge University
Beginnings
edward piermont
Edward Piermont, circa 1890.
Edward Piermont spent much of his youth in Bibury, Gloucestershire. An only child, when Edward was ten his parents died in a house fire. The damage to his lungs sustained from smoke inhalation would be a handicap throughout his life.
Edward was sent to live with his aunt in London, who introduced him to many of the city’s luminaries, including Oscar Wilde, Thomas Huxley, Arthur Edward Waite, and members of Madame Blavatsky’s Theosophical Society. In 1890 Edward entered Cambridge University; already fluent in Latin, Greek, French, and German, he read Classics, studying under Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb.
Edward’s abilities attracted the attention of the famed archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld, and in 1892, under the sponsorship of Dörpfeld, Edward began assisting at the Mycenae dig site.
Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb. Photo courtesy of National Portrait Gallery London.
hendry thorne
Hendry Thorne recovering from injuries received during the Siege of Khartoum, 1889.
Hendry Thorne grew up along the Irish Sea Coast, working with his father on ports from Bristol to Whitehaven. At an early age Hendry demonstrated a talent for freediving, and supplemented the family income by recovering sunken valuables.
Hendry fought in the First Boer War (1880-1881) and the Mahdist War (1881-1899), earning the Distinguished Conduct Medal in both conflicts. After retiring from military service he began work as a treasure-hunter. Despite a lack of formal education, his analytical skills and physical endurance earned him legendary status among his colleagues. Though never fully embraced by the academic archaeology community, Hendry and his exploits (often exaggerated) were covered by prestigious journals such as the Revue Archéologique and Archeologica.
In 1889 Hendry joined the Troy dig team at Mycenae. Heinrich Schliemann’s death in 1890 resulted in a promotion for Hendry, who enjoyed a good working relationship with Wilhelm Dörpfeld.
Mayan monument found in Honduras, 1885, used by Hendry to locate the Solar Codex of Itzamna. Photo courtesy of BPK.
Troy, 1891. Hendry Thorne is furthermost left, upper wall, standing. Edward Piermont is middle, upper wall, standing, wearing a makeshift turban for protection against the sun.
Photo courtesy of BPK.
The Partnership Forms
Edward & hendry became fast friends at the Troy dig site.
Edward was fascinated by the older Hendry’s swagger, recounting their initial meeting in a letter to his aunt:
“As for the men at camp, most of them are dour Greeks who play euchre for money and drink themselves into a stupor nearly every night. I cannot say I blame them. The work is exhausting, the successes are very few, and the delineations between laborer and gentleman are enforced to the point of mutual loathing. I am buoyed, however, by a man named Hendry Thorne, who goes wherever he pleases and is respected throughout the entire camp. He is an explorer of some renown, as well as being a veteran of two wars. I am keen to make his acquaintance.”
Hendry mentioned Edward in a letter to his girlfriend:
“This week’s fun arrives courtesy of a young student named Edward Piermont. He looks all of twelve and is only slightly taller than the shovels, but he is a genius. Even rarer, he is humble despite being one of the very few for whom arrogance would not be misplaced. He knew of my adventures in Kamchatka and Nepal and offered to assist in translating the jade tablet I have had little luck with. I might accept his offer…”
In 1894, using a loan from the Piermont estate, Edward and Hendry launched the Piermont & Thorne Auction House.
An Auspicious Encounter
Mason Rockefeller’s “Infernus Reliquary.” In private collection.
Though initially dealing in common antiquities, P&T’s focus shifted after Edward’s first trip to American in 1897, where he met Mason Rockefeller. As cousin to the famous Rockefeller family, Mason had the financial means to build what he called “the largest collection of occult items in the world.” Rockefeller commissioned Piermont & Thorne to procure the touchstone of his collection: the “Infernus Reliquary.”
In 1899, Edward returned to London with Rockefeller’s prize. Over the next few years P&T would help Rockefeller realize his dream, and in doing so establish themselves as the premiere auction house for occult objects. P&T would soon work with a variety of clients, including the Vatican Museums, the British Museum, the Smithsonian, and numerous private collectors.
Piermont & Thorne Today
One hundred and thirty years after the founding of Piermont & Thorne, their commitment remains unwavering: providing clients with unparalleled access to items of profound historical, aesthetic, and mystical significance. Every item in the P&T catalogue holds a story. Many items, by virtue of their hermetic nature, are part of a larger, hidden world, interconnected in ways still being discovered.
Piermont & Thorne invites you to join their adventure into what Edward Piermont called